Lessons Learned
by Malekyte
Summary: Hinata discovers the kind of person she really is, in some hope of completing a vow she took to be the friend and lover she wanted to be. WARNING: HinaNaru NaruHina, HinaKiba KibaHina, KibaNaru NaruKiba, HinaKibaNaru, BDSM, Lemon Tree!
1. The Return

_**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I intend to own the source of Naruto.**_

_**Author's Note: I wrote this with the intrigue of who Hinata could really be as a character. I warn you, as the story progresses, the level of kink and lemon will increase. I will note at the beginning of the chapters of any major lemon-moments, but read at your own risk. This is not for the sheltered heart or mind. Comments and hits will give me more motivation to continue the storyline faster. Please enjoy.**_

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Hinata was standing in the doorway when Neji came around the corner. She had been stuck in this state, unable to open her own door for no good reason. Neji's call broke her out of the trance, sliding the wood panel aside. Before crossing the threshold, she glanced up at her approaching cousin, dispelling any concern he may have had for her behavior.

The room was completely black, closed off from the rest of the world since her departure almost a year ago. It was eerie, the nostalgia from her last memory of home was a complete contradicting comparison to the woman she was now. A small laugh broke the air as her childhood sparked in her mind. Leaning against the wall she slid towards the floor as her laughter became tears. It was a happy memory that seemed to bring up such different emotions; very sad and hurtful emotions amidst the calm nature of what she remember.

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_The Konoha Gates stood welcoming everyone into the bustling city that day. A few people congregated by the main booth. Neji was starring at the ground, unable to sway his cousin's decision to leave Konoha for a good while. Hinata was just as dispelled as she stuttered why she was going to be gone. She was circling the true reason why she had to abandon everything she had for a home, and Neji knew it. Sakura, shifting her pack's weight, separated the two with little resistance as the entire small crowd watched the two girls exist the bustling city into the forest. When they were finally out of sight from the dense trees, the crowd dispersed. Lord Hyuuga began the long walk back home, as well as her many teammates and friends. Neji was one of the last to move, with Naruto being the only one in front of him._

"_I blame you for this, Naruto." Neji's words rang true to the silent blond._

"_You have every right to be." came his reply, but too quiet for the other to hear in his retreat._

_- - - - - - - - - -_

"_Home is where the heart is, and where the mind chooses to wander. You'll be back home before you can have time to wonder what you're missing." said Sakura calmly. Those were the only words the two spoke on their entire trip away from Konoha._

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Hinata snapped back from her flashback with more tears in her eyes, so glad to be home. Regaining her comfort with her old room, she let nostalgia control her for a short while before going to clean up after a very long day.

The shower was very welcoming, and she decided to take her time with the warm water before leaving. Wrapped in her towel she moved to the closet, which was stocked with more fitting attire than what she had left. She noticed one of her old jackets along the side and hesitated in the surprising size variance to her current figure. A mild sigh left her smile as she sifted through the available clothes, not finding anything that fit her current fashion sense. Apparently more than her body changed during her away time. The bag on the bed, however, held a more modern style to Hinata's liking, and pulled on a clean set. A quick study in the mirror was all she took before leaving to go see the rest of town. There were few encounters with anyone as she left the compound, it was late by mild comparison, but the moon hadn't even risen to its full state. The night was oh-so very young.

She wandered aimlessly through the calm streets, some she remembered, others were new. She didn't stop along her walk until she ended at the viewpoint for Hokage Mountain. Deciding to pause, she took a seat at the bench along the far railing. Cool air rushed into her lungs; the weather was much drier here than her previous locale, but the feeling was crisp and refreshing.

Amidst her aimless state, Hinata did not notice the three figures who decided to investigate the long figure on the balcony. They weren't 20 feet away before their movements were noticed. Hinata calmly turned around to examine the source of the noise, noticing three odd-looking men starring at her. It was almost flattering. When Hinata cleared her voice for attention, their heads snapped up and eyes de-glazed.

"He-hello," was all one of them could manage to say. The one in the center was the one who spoke, and with a mild slur from his drinking. The other two looked nothing but aggressive. This was nothing more than an excuse for trouble, and Hinata saw through the guise in the first moment. Hoping to avoid a direct confrontation, she got up, making sure to stretch in a very distracting way, following up with readjusting her bra. Maybe they would be too distracted to cause any trouble. The delay worked, and she was able to walk right past them towards town without anything happen.

That was until one on the end woke up and decided to lunge at Hinata. This was not the best of decisions as the next thing the man remembered was lying on the ground twitching and moaning in pain. His buddies broke their trance at his sounds, and went to seek payment for his injury. Again, not the best of ideas, as they both found themselves on their knees gasping for air.

"I command you to stop," came a voice. The tone was so inviting they could do nothing but listen with full attention. "You will go home and rest until you are sober." There was no disobeying these words. The two men quickly got up, then, limping with their third, vanished out of sight down the street. This left Hinata to walk in an opposing direction, towards an older line of small housing.

She was going to wait until the morning, but it felt like now would be a good time to find him.


	2. Awkward Confusion

_**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I intend to own the source of Naruto.**_

_**Author's Note: Thank you to all for the hits and stats. It has brought me to posting the next section a little earlier than planned.**_

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The second floor balcony showed an open door with a small light emanating from inside. With a new smile on her face, Hinata went inside to his door, hesitating only a moment before knocking quietly. Muffled sounds moved on the other side before the door swung open, revealing Naruto in boxers and his toon-nightcap. She chuckled just a moment as how cute he was while he slowly realized who was standing in front of him.

Naruto was speechless, staring stunned from the shock. "May I come in?" came Hinata's voice very softly. The half-naked blond mechanically stood aside, letting her through the doorway. Hinata had just sat down on the end of the bed—not finding any other furniture to accommodate otherwise—when the door clicked shut. "Welcome back." was all Naruto could manage to say as he leaned up against the wall.

"It's been a while," Hinata replied, noticing his odd moment. "I just got back this morning, and I wanted to see how you've been. Well, I hope?"

Now the conversation became slightly awkward for both of them. Many words were said before her departure; about them as friends; and about them as something closer than friends. Naruto had always deferred from the topic, it was too uncomfortable and different for him back then. While Hinata had been away; since the moment she had left he'd been trying to figure out what it was that was so confusing. He had feelings for her, and she obviously had strong feelings for him, but the relationship felt unnatural and weak.

Ever since the day she left, Naruto had sought to figure out what it is he was missing. He still hadn't figured it all out, but he was far less ignorant about things than before. Now, with Hinata suddenly showing up at his room, he was afraid that everything might come falling apart to the nightmare it was before.

"I've been doing fine," Naruto stated. "I'm actually doing a lot better than before, if your that curious." A small smile flashed upon his face, trying to keep the mood light. But even with the attempt, Hinata's face dropped as she stared at her twiddling thumbs—a habit she hadn't done in quite some time.

"I wanted to see you again. I've missed you." she whispered.

"I thought you were the one who wanted to end it? We were going nowhere, and it was dragging both of us down."

"You're right, I did want it to end. But I needed some time to really think about what you had said, and to discover some things for myself."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

There was a long pause before Hinata raised her head with a very cheerful smile. "Yes, I have." She looked directly into the blond's eyes for the critical moment. "Naruto, I still want you. And now that I know who I am, I can say that is the truth." She drifted her eyes to the open balcony door to the left, and noticed Naruto was beginning to fidget in the uncomfortable turn of conversation.

"I honestly thought that you were nothing more than a crush. Someone whom I would recover from in time. I went through many different phases, Naruto, and knew that it was for the best. I cursed you for the pain you caused me, then blamed myself for what happened with us. I eventually realized, over time, what it all meant while I was away. I realized that I love you Naruto. And I—I just needed you to know that."

She bit her lip at the last point, reprimanding herself for stuttering her words—another habit she hadn't done since she was last here. She worked hard to keep absolute composure; she knew Naruto's presence would affect her slightly, but she couldn't readily prepare herself to completely deal with her emotions.

Naruto stood quietly against the wall before sliding to the ground in a daze. It was an overload of information and he couldn't coherently respond.

"I wa...when you...I didn't...I had to...I've—moved on." was all he could manage to say before burying his head in his knees, too distraught to do anything else.

Contrary to was Naruto was probably expecting, Hinata shed off her nervous skin and moved to kneel in front of the fetal boy. When she pulled his head up to meet eyes, she was smiling. Before he could react, Hinata has pulled him towards her in a strong hug. "I'm so glad to hear that. There are no words to explain why, but I really am."

"I am so confused right now." Naruto coughed between the gasps for air. "What is you were hoping for then anyways?"

"It's hard to explain," she hesitated, "but if we could start again from friends, and move beyond all the nightmares we endured, I would be able to live with myself a little bit easier. It's not everything, but it's a start, at least. I'm not expecting anything Naruto. Hoping, maybe, but it's better than the alternatives."

"Which are—."

"—Mine to know alone." she breeched.

"I am so confused."

Yet despite his confusion, he felt immensely better about himself and Hinata, and took control of the embrace once more. "Friends then, the best of friends."

"So tell me, who's the lucky person who has de-bachelor-ized you?" she reamed at the random change of topic.

Naruto seemed to snap to a different plane upon hearing this. "Lucky? Oh, yeah well, h—um, yeah... Can it wait for another day? I think I'm about to go into overload with all the talking tonight."

Hinata cocked her head sideways in curiosity, studying Naruto's rushed expression. She stood up, copying his movements to the door, still too curious for her own good. She glanced about the room for no reason until she noticed the balcony door open as it was before. The door, the boxers, the fidgeting, the rush in realization...the dots connected. Hinata hugged Naruto one more time from behind, whispering something into his ear before she bolted from the room.

"Lucky dog?" came the delayed translation to Naruto as the front door closed, leaving the balcony door to open further.


	3. Behind Closed Doors

_**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I intend to own the source of Naruto.**_

_**Author's Note: I would like to explain at this time how my storyline system will work. All lemons and kinks will have their own chapters so as to discern from other lines. In pairings, the standard S/D naming system will relate appropriate roles for plot cohesion. I.E.: Capitalized name is Dominant, and lowercase is submissive. Please enjoy.**_

_**WARNINGS: Lemons; kibaNaru**_

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"How long were you waiting out there?"

"Since somewhere in your confusion. It was hard not to laugh at the thought of how your face would contort."

"Watch it mutt, don't say anything that would get you in trouble, you might regret it."

"Like what?" taunted Kiba, moving within inches of Naruto.

"Like that." Naruto said as he pushed Kiba to fall on the bed, making crude dog-breath remarks under his breath.

"Oh, interesting," called Kiba, smelling the air where Hinata had just been, "she smells nice. Almost like—."

The remaining sentence was cut short by a mostly-nude blond bullet lunging at Kiba, pinning him halfway on the mattress. "You're only digging your own grave, dog."

Kiba launched off his legs, flipping both of them over the bed so that Kiba was laying on top of a slightly stunned Naruto. He left out a very taunting growl to the one under him. Naruto rolled sideways to again control the wild dog, this time removing the few articles of clothing Kiba wore over. Foreplay is fun and all, but him and Kiba both agreed that foreplay was better done without the destruction of clothes.

Kiba had just gotten up to lastly remove his shirt when Naruto tackled him back to the bed. Now that all clothes were out of the way, a more animal nature of Naruto came out. His eyes mixed with red and blue, creating a deep trance of purple. His breathing shifted slightly harder as he again pinned the dog down. Kiba had already let instincts control him as well, and his eyes glazed over as he let out a deep growl. The growl spiked in intensity when the fox bit down upon his neck, almost to the point of tearing skin. Both fought and squirmed against the other's strength, but neither getting any advantage over the other. At one point, the dog had managed to swing the fox prone, only to find himself off-balance and fall backwards over the bed. For a moment, both of them laughed, the fox hanging over the side of the bed with dog-boy sprawled out on his back on the floor. There was a pounce, some grunts, a growl, and a snarl, as the dog was pinned against the wall by some very strong hands. The purple in the fox's eyes had moved to a darker-red tone, which meant foreplay was over. Kiba licked his canines like hounds before the feast, inviting his captor into his mouth. The two of them shifted against the wall until all weight was on the blond, who then thrust his mouth upon Kiba's. They were so close to each other, they could feel each others heart beat in between breaths.

Without warning, Naruto shifted Kiba up by his butt, lightly placing it against his erect cock. Another growl left the dog during their deep kissing, giving the fox all the invitation he needed. There was no hesitation, and no taking time with his movements as Naruto thrust himself into Kiba. The dog whimpered, shook, and gasped at the large spike in pain. Causing his glazed-over eyes to slightly water. Before he could recover, Naruto had already gone to work in fast motions, not needing to take time to find his mutt's sweet spot.

The motions did not speed up, or slow for a seemingly long time to Kiba, who was too caught up in the moment to pay attention to anything else other than the feelings in his own body. Kiba was feeling so much ecstasy his barely noticed when he reached his peak and came between the two of them, chests still heaving against the wall. But then Naruto shifted angles, and nearly doubled his pace, creating an overload of senses for the both of them. Naruto's breathing suddenly shook from it's repetitive state, becoming staccato and crisp. Kiba had pulled from his sex-induced state just in time to see the deep purple in Naruto's eyes transition back to their stunning blue.

They both then slid down the wall in complete exhaustion for several minutes before they were able to gather up their destruction and belongings. And so that Kiba could get back home before anyone would discover him missing.

It's amazing no one knew. Then again, no one could ever know, at least not for a while.


	4. A Long Walk

_**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I intend to own the source of Naruto.**_

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**_Hinata took her time exiting the building; curiosity was getting the best of her. When she reached the unlit street, she glanced back up at the balcony that led into Naruto's apartment. The door that was open not minutes ago, was closed shut with blinds. She had no idea who Naruto was waiting for, but whomever it was had been present for Hinata's departure.

The woman crossed the street, slumping against the side of the opposite building, almost staring up at the closed door. The veins around her eyes embossed as she gained a front row audience to Naruto's secret. She gasped when she recognized Kiba sprawled out on the bed underneath Naruto. It made an amazing amount of sense to Hinata—Naruto's secret lover. After all, he had described to her before, he moved on.

It was a little surprising in her moment of fascination towards Naruto, that she felt a bit of jealousy bite the back of her mind. _What could Kiba give him that I couldn't?_ Several answers noted back in reply, the biggest one being that Kiba had a dick while Hinata didn't. Still, with ongoing fascination, Hinata watched as the figures in the apartment went through an intricate and intimate routine.

It took her some time to truly understand a difference in Naruto during this phase. Her unique eyes not only made her privy to the physical form of people through walls, but the chakra flows as well. In Naruto's case, an odd flow was emanating out in a different pattern. A red aura was nearly pulsating without bounds around its container. Hinata knew this was the transpose of the Kyuubi in Naruto. The demon-red essence was part of the nine-tailed fox.

She recalled the time when Sakura had informed her of Naruto's position. She explained all about Naruto's history in intimate detail. Sakura had hinted away that she held a crush on Naruto even since Sasuke left, but could never show it for so many different, and useless, reasons.

A cold wind blew through the street, bringing Hinata back from her daze. She had been watching Naruto and Kiba wrestle and move about for a little over a half hour, when the temperature dropped. She took note of the moon beginning its descent in the sky; it was getting very late, and things would have to end soon.

This is also when Naruto's chakra flow changed intensity. From a recent mix of blue and red, the colors shifted to a near-blood tone. The demon's aura was consuming Naruto's body. Hinata gasped for concern, thinking that the fox would perhaps break the seal tonight and repeat its destructive history over again.

Then she noticed Kiba, pinned against the wall. He was perfectly calm considering the adrenaline-rushed situation. She sat in awe against the building for the next unknown time as both of the two men in the room reached their climax. An additional peak of interest rose when she noticed the demon-aura dissipate into thin air as Naruto passed his point._ Interesting_, she mused.

She thought for a moment she could understand what the two were talking as they quickly cleaned up any evidence of their encounter. Both took a quick shower before Kiba headed for the balcony door. She noted that there was no sign of sentiment or an intimate relationship between the two as Kiba passed and reclosed the balcony door.

The dog-nin bounded up to the roof's peak before he heard the woman on the street clear her throat. The night was silent, except for the wind, and the cacophony broke the peace like a ripple on water. His head snapped down as his eyes focused on Hinata raising herself from her sitting position.

Kiba almost had an anxiety attack above Naruto's apartment. Hinata saw this, and chose her words carefully.

"It's good to see you again Kiba-kun. It is very late, though, and I must be heading home. Would you help me to my house? It would give us a little time to reconnect."

She gave out her most seductive smile and tone so as to ease Kiba from his tension. Normally, if she really wanted Kiba to follow her command, she would have woven more power into her words. But coercion would be counterproductive in this tense time.

Kiba took his silent time descending the building-side. When he reached Hinata, a blast of wind caught Hinata's nose as she breathed in a scent of strong musk from the dog-nin. The smell reminded her of the countless times she had cuddled up against Kiba in emotional times. He moved within inches from her, looking up into her eyes with fear and concern, but confidence and bravery. He was hiding his shock well, waiting for Hinata to take the next move.

Kiba suddenly was victim to a tight hug from the woman, stunned silent for a moment before relaxing ever-so slightly. When she released him, she took his hand, leading to follow.

"Let's take a walk."

Kiba just nodded his head and followed.

"Drop the concern Kiba, I'm not going to reveal anything about your adventures. I have no need for such low blackmail."

Relief washed over the man's face like a change of weather. Not completely guard-less, but enough for color to fill his face again.

"It's good to see you again." he spoke, not meeting her eyes.

"It's good to be back," she paused, debating her next move. "So how long?" she questioned, directing towards their previous location.

"Eh? Oh, wha—that? Um, it's a long story." Kiba diverted quickly. Hinata pestered him silently for a moment before he added, "It's not my place to say. It's his explanation, not mine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry."

The conversation was growing taunt, so Hinata threw her apologetic gaze towards the ground. "I just wanted to know if he's happy."

Kiba hesitated in his step before he stopped. "What?"

"Is he happy? He told me that he has moved on, and I'm happy for that. He just seemed, distracted, that's all. I just want to know if he's doing well."

Kiba restarted the casual pace through Konoha's streets, contemplating his reply. When he finally spoke, it was very careful, like every word could mean life or death to hundreds of people.

"He is as well as you could hope for. Times were hard to him after you left. He went through a lot of phases, and I guess I was the only one who was there to really help him through them. Neji hasn't said a single word to him in all this time, and that kind of rejection hit him hard. He blames himself for his low state. He has become masochistic over his troubles. Everything has been compounding his whole life, and I think he just finally snapped.

'He all but kills himself with physical pain to cover all the torment he's endured. I found him on one of his rampages a few months ago. That demon fox inside him was leaking rage strong enough to shake the ground. Apparently it's become very protective of Naruto. I don't know all the details, and they're not mind to really tell; but we found something that helps him keep his fueling rage in check. He's very aggressive, and I guess we stumbled across something that we both didn't know we would enjoy."

It had taken Kiba a long time to describe everything to Hinata. She remained silent the entire time, listening intently to every word. When he spoke the last phrase, she noticed the serious look on his face had flashed a smile. When he fell silent, his eyes diverted to the ground and he stopped walking. It had taken so long, they were at the front gate to the Hyuuga Estate.

Hinata noticed the question in Kiba's stance, and raised his head to meet eyes.

"Your secret is safe with me. Thank you for helping him. I am in your debt. Thank you for everything."

They held in a strong hug for the last moment there as Hinata's eyes welled with tears. Kiba smiled, more for unknown reasons, but also for Hinata. He was very happy to see her again. An old friend he hadn't seen in a long time just returned, and it was as if their distance hadn't skipped a single beat. Their bond had grown stronger over the months without even knowing it.

When the moon finally settled down for the day, Kiba was just closing his bedroom door, Hinata was drifting into a solid sleep, and Naruto was twitching from a nightmare he couldn't wake from.

It was the same one he'd been coping with for so many nights. Only this time, Hinata was the one punishing him for his crimes.


End file.
